Movie buff and MID-contributor John Zenoni has sworn -- and since retracted -- his refusal to watch the same movie twice. While John has -- and does -- rewatch films it doesn't -- and hasn't -- happen(ed) very often. So when he does hit the theater (or even a streamer) for a second viewing, it's a big deal. We've compiled a list of the flicks that he's done this with so far and have even included his original review for each movie (where available).
The Greatest Showman
The thing we all know (and I assume all love) about movies is that you can find those that will educate you, shock you, scare you, make you sad and then there are those that just entertain you. If you want to see one that strictly is a fun, entertaining film then you must see “The Greatest Showman.” I know, I know it is a musical and not everyone enjoys these particular kind of films but this is one that I just cannot imagine anyone not enjoying.
The plot is simple - it is a story about the beginning of PT Barnum’s circus and the people he helped find a home/family because of their differences and/or special talents - and is not complicated to follow. Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams both do a great job in their roles as childhood sweethearts - him coming from a very poor family, her from a wealthy family whose father rejects Hugh Jackman’s character due to his low status in society and tells him he will amount to nothing.
So while the plot itself is ‘simple,’ the music itself is so integral to the plot that you cannot help but enjoy scene after scene. Being set in a circus world, the people or ‘oddities’ who are introduced are captivating and the cinematography is really good. Speaking of the music, the dance sequences are so good and the music is perfect for each scene. There is one in particular that is so beautiful that you are just pulled into it as if you are really there. This is a happy, feel good movie that I could watch over and over again. Definitely a good one to see.
"There’s no such thing as bad publicity,"
-- P. T. Barnum
-- P. T. Barnum
Coco
I love Disney & Pixar movies and cannot believe that it took me 3 years since its release for me to watch ‘Coco.’ This is a visually stunning film and one that has such special meaning since it's about family and remembering those who have gone on before us. What I love about this film is that, while it focuses on the annual Mexican celebration Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), which is a time when families gather to honor and remember deceased loved ones (it is believed that the souls of the dead return to visit the living families in homes, businesses and cemeteries), this is a cultural celebration whose meaning applies to each and everyone of us. The animation, colors and music in this film are all amazing and if you don’t feel your heart being tugged on at the end of this film then you need to have it checked. 'Coco' is a beautiful film.
The Way Back
For those people who love sports and films about sports, the recently released “The Way Back” is definitely for you. This is one of the best sports themed films I've seen in a very long time for several reasons. (For those not familiar with this movie, it's about a former high school sports star who ends up stepping in as head coach at his former school where he played due to the current coach having to step down for health reasons.)
First, and I will try to say this without ruining anything about the film, it does not follow that typical down-and-out athlete or coach story who all of a sudden makes a miraculous turnaround and then either makes the greatest save or score or win for the team and all ends happily ever after. No, the story-line in this one definitely strays away from that which was a nice surprise.
Second, it has a plot twist that totally caught me off guard and punched me in the gut. Some people might say that they could see it coming a mile away but perhaps it was the way the film progressed that made me miss it until it happened. The other thing I loved was the scenes of the young men playing basketball. It felt like you were in the game with the players and you could feel the coach’s (portrayed by Ben Affleck) enthusiasm carry over into their games as they proceeded to get better and better.
Finally, the performances are superb, particularly that of Ben Affleck. What an outstanding job he does playing coach Jack Cunningham. He also does an excellent job carrying this film with his performance and he makes you root for him (while being mad at him at the same time)! This performance is one that demands recognition and I hope that he won't be overlooked during awards season as he's so good. Great film!
Sound of Metal
Talk about an absolutely stunning performance in a great movie - definitely check out Riz Ahmed as musician Ruben Stone in the film, ‘Sound of Metal.’ It's one of those performances that makes your mouth drop as well as feel every emotion the actor feels in his/her portrayal.
The film is about a heavy-metal drummer in a band with his girlfriend who begins to suddenly lose his hearing. A former heroin addict, but four years clean, he begins to panic and feels that he's spiraling out of control. His girlfriend is worried that he's going to revert back to his drug use to deal with the situation so she gets him into a house for people learning to adjust to life as a deaf person. Ok, this is where people might think the film would fall apart and into the trap of sentimental, heartfelt overload. But thank goodness it doesn't do that. Ruben is given an opportunity and he slowly begins to try and adapt to his new life as a deaf person, learning sign language and developing relationships with those who live in the home. But the whole time he has plans to try and revert to his former life as a musician on the road and living in his RV with his girlfriend again, moving from city to city and playing gig after gig. Without giving anything else away, I'll say that things do not exactly fall into place as he expects.
The acting by the cast in this film is all good but this movie definitely belongs to Ahmed and rightly so. He puts his whole heart into this performance, learning to play drums and sign language. I'll back up on an earlier comment and admit that there were a couple of touching moments and the ending is a killer at playing with your mind and heart.
Definitely one film that pulled at my heart strings, not only because I'm a person who loves music immensely and couldn't imagine going through what Ahmed’s character does, but also because it teaches so many good lessons while not doing overkill. It's a well balanced, well made film with a tour de force performance!
Top Gun
A Quiet Place II
Well, the summer movie event of 2021 is ‘A Quiet Place Part II.’ I have to say a couple of things about this and that is: 1) it's been a long time since I've jumped a couple of times like this during a movie; and 2) I actually found this sequel to be better than the original. Definitely an unusual case for me. In fact, I can’t recall - other than ‘The Godfather Part II’ and ‘Aliens’ - seeing a sequel that's better than the original. Such a great, psychological thriller, which is how I would classify this film. I also want to point out that everyone did a great job in their roles, especially Emily Blunt, who plays mom Evelyn Abbott, and Noah Jupe, who plays son Marcus Abbott. The way they bounced off each other made the relationship between them seem so real. The other thing I loved about this film is how multiple action scenes were taking place simultaneously between key characters. Brilliantly used in this film! Speaking of ‘Aliens’, I see this and the original film as the ‘Alien’ of this generation.
The film starts with a great setup, showing how all of this started from day 1 - definitely nerve-wracking and a great way to start the sequel - and then jumps to day 400+. Blunt, excellent in her role, is still trying to survive with her 3 kids - one being an infant - in this new world where everyone has to be quiet so the noise-sensitive alien creatures can't hear them. As they move from one place to the next, all goes well until the inevitable trip-up when Blunt’s character hits a trip wire and they have to run, literally, for their lives. They end up meeting up with Emmett, played by Cillian Murphy, a former family friend who lives life hiding out on his own but who eventually teams up with Blunt’s daughter, Regan, played by Millicent Simmond, to try and find a safe place to live.
The action, suspense and dialogue - more in this than the original - is great and keeps you on the edge of your seat. If I had to find any fault with the film it would be the lack of screen time for actor Djimon Hounsou, from ‘Amistad’, who I definitely wish had a bigger role.
This is definitely a nail biter and I loved it!
Grease
Grease -- a popular film that I grew up loving and still stop to watch anytime it's playing on cable or network stations. I love it because this is another one in which the soundtrack is a key aspect of the film and you know just about every song that's played. Mr. Travolta struck gold again (I mean, two major blockbuster hits back-to-back!) with this one and at that point it seemed that he could do no wrong -- which we would eventually find out wasn't the case at all, since he made some major stinkers later.
And poor Olivia Newton-John...what a debut! Starring in one of the biggest movies (at that time) only yo never have another hit. But the appeal of the movie itself is, I think, that it takes the audience back to a more 'innocent' era -- the 50s is one where you, at least I do, think of 'Happy Days', soda shops, clean tv shows, etc.
Amazingly, the movie itself still holds up pretty well -- even today. The acting is solid and the cast does a great job. It's hard to believe that this was released so long ago -- in 1978.
Saturday Night Fever
The film just happened to come along at the right time as people were being introduced to the new dance craze known as disco. The combination of the timing and music meant the movie was destined to be a hit. Now, I'm not saying that "SNF" is the best film by any means, but it was different and the music made it captivating. It deserves to be considered a classic.
The Northman
I really don't even know where to begin with ‘The Northman’, the much anticipated and talked about Viking film from director Robert Eggers, who also directed the critically-acclaimed films, ‘The Lighthouse’ and ‘The Witch’, which in my opinion is one of the creepiest films I have seen since ‘The Exorcist’ (needless to say, I can never look at a goat the same way again).
Let me start with the most obvious thing I think there is about this film and that is that it is visually stunning. I mean it has absolutely beautiful visuals as far the scenery, costumes, set pieces, and even the (much) blood and gore. Not that I would know what the old world would have looked like, by any means, but I can only imagine Eggers must be close in capturing the era as it seems realistic. One character in particular who's getting a lot of attention is the Seeress, played by indie singer Bjork. And based on some of her album covers and how she has dressed on stage, this film was right up her alley. Although she doesn't appear long in the film, she was captivating for sure.
The other obvious thing about the movie is that, if you have seen Eggers’ other films, you can tell that this was a vision directed by him. The film work itself and the use of the lighting and scenes and close up all work the same as in his other movies. Not to mention the fact that even this film had a sense of creepiness about it. I don’t know, the themes and things he has come up with and introduced into his films is just odd and, sorry to repeat, creepy. If you want action, blood-and-gore, revenge and more then you definitely need to see this one. It's sometimes hard to follow - in my opinion - from a plot perspective, but it's based on an ancient tale that Shakespeare himself wrote about in ‘Hamlet’, which he supposedly used to write his famous work.
As far as the actors go, everyone goes all out in this one and they do a great job, especially Alexander Skarsgård. He definitely steals the show and is a commanding presence, no doubt.
Joker
I've been waiting on this particular film to come out for months, which is rather ironic considering I don’t really care for films based on comic books. However, the difference here is that this film isn't like any other ‘comic book’ film. It's truly a stand-alone piece of work and the main character is a ‘regular’ human being - completely insane, of course, but still a human being and not some blue creature from a far off planet or an alien with unique super powers.
The main thing I can tell anyone is to not go into this film expecting action right away. This is definitely a film that focuses on studying the main character, Arthur Fleck (played by Joaquin Phoenix), and how he goes about his poor, sad and lonely life each day. As each passing day goes by, you can sense the frustration that Arthur experiences and see him going deeper and deeper into darkness. You know that nothing good is going to happen as you watch him interact with those around him. While he descends into his madness, you can almost pity him as you see how he's treated and what he learns later on in the film about his younger years and his life. However, that does not by any means excuse him from his actions as the course of the film goes on. In my opinion, we see a failure of both Arthur, his mother, co-workers and others taking responsibility for their actions as well as our society and the ‘system’ as far as how others are helped or, better yet, not helped. It's really a sad state of affairs overall.
The plot of the film is believable and the storyline is really well done but at the same time this movie is a very ‘dark’ and grim film to watch. It is absolutely intense and will definitely stay with you after it's over, which, honestly, I love because it means the director, actors and all involved have done a great job. It definitely made me think about Arthur and his circumstances and how I wish things could have been different for him. But at the same time, I found him revolting for thinking he could just take ‘justice’ into his own hands.
The casting in the film was spot-on with the exception, in my opinion, of Robert De Niro, who plays talk show host Murray Franklin, one of Arthur’s heroes. I just didn't feel that De Niro was believable in this role and he appeared to be out of place. But the other actors were amazing. Which brings me, of course, to Joaquin Phoenix and his role as Joker. Mr. Phoenix absolutely gives a tour de force performance! All I can say is that he's incredible and I couldn't help but see how engrossed he was in the character. If he doesn't get the Oscar - which I know we're still early on yet before that time of year - then something's wrong. Go ahead and give the man his award now. This is an amazing film that is haunting and yet beautiful to watch at the same time!
Jaws
There are movies in life that can impact us in many ways, both positive and negative, of course. As individuals, as a culture, as groups. But in my opinion, no other film -- to this day -- that's had the overall type of impact that Jaws did on society upon release. When I say this I mean that even now people still talk about the effect it's had on them and their feelings about going into the ocean.
Just a couple of weeks ago, while I was on vacation at the beach, I met a family who was talking about their kids and how they had watched Jaws and Shark Week and didn't want to go in the water! And I'm with them one-hundred percent! When I get in the water I'm always watching around me and thinking in my head, "Please don't let there be a shark!" This film changed everyone's perception about going to the beach and swimming in the ocean. Having read several articles and watched many shows on the topic, I can tell you that scientists weren't happy about it because they believed that Jaws gave sharks a bad name. Basically, scientists consider them to be miracles, as far as animals are concerned, and want people to realize that we're swimming in the sharks' home -- not ours.
With all that being said, I love Jaws for the following reasons: One, I read the book, which was very good, and I think that the movie was pretty faithful to it -- with the exception of a key part regarding Chief Brody's wife and Matt Hooper (We won't go there because it's so inconceivable!); Also, I loved the drama and -- for the time -- realistic horror scenes. That opening scene of the woman getting shaken back-and-forth in the water is one of the most terrifying moments ever. When she gets to the buoy you hope she's going to be ok but when she's pulled under you just know that it's over for her. Although the discovery of body parts was pretty gross at the time, you can tell that it's not real today. The scene with the boy on the float is horrible because things like that have actually happened and when his mother confronts Brody on the dock it's gut-wrenching.
Another key scene is Quint's recounting the horror of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the sharks' subsequent feeding on the sailors. I've since read that some liberties were taken but the facts weren't too far off. And besides, it doesn't matter. That was an amazing scene. You could hear a pin drop in the theater when he was telling that story (I read that costar Richard Dreyfuss was blown away by Robert Shaw's performance during that scene). The irony of him having survived and then ending up getting killed by that shark!
Another reason I love Jaws is that it was the first summer blockbuster to be released. This was the first film to gross over $100 million! The movie came out in 1975 and I'll never forget riding by movie theaters and seeing people lined up for what seemed like blocks to get in to see it. The film was talked about for months! I'll never forget how nervous I was when I finally got to see it -- my mom and dad had to see it first to approve -- and being 12 at the time, it was a big deal to see such a film. It definitely made a lasting impression on me and many others.
Oh, and last but not least, how can anyone forget that music composed by John Williams!
Star Wars
Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977. I wasn't quite 12 at the time but I remember seeing the trailer for it and couldn't wait. You could tell it was going to be unlike anything seen before in terms of filmmaking and that the special effects were going to be amazing. All the kids in my neighborhood -- and adults -- were buzzing about it. Well needless to say, the build-up was worth the wait. I remember from the opening scene of the dialogue scrolling on the screen that there was excitement in the room and then when the ships and various firefights came screeching across everyone was just amazed.
From that point on, the summer of 1977 was all about Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, R2D2, Chewbacca, C3PO and Darth Vader. People just couldn't get enough of it -- pajamas, Halloween costumes, games and, especially, toys, were the rage. Needless to say, a film and retail empire had been born and everyone couldn't wait for the next film to be released.
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